The invention relates to gelling agents for use in the food industry and to reversible gels obtainable by use of said gelling agents.
In the food industry gelling agents are widely applied. Virtually every non-dry food formulation is in some way or another a gel. Gelling agents can be divided into two main categories: agents that form gels resistant and substantially stable to heating under conditions applied for or during the end use (irreversible gels) and agents that form gels that can be molten during process or end use (reversible gels). Reversible gels are thus unstable under the conditions wherein the end product, in which they are applied, are used.
Examples of the first category of gelling agents are calcinated alginates, low methoxyl pectins and degraded starches. Examples of the second category are: gelatin, carrageenans, high methoxyl pectins and caseinates. The reversible gels may go through several cycles of gelling and melting, allowing for rework of redundant materials or slicing of foods that will be liquefied during cooking, etc.
A drawback of the second category of gelling agents is their high price and sometimes lack of availability. Furthermore some gelling agents have been connected with adverse health effects.
Gelatin (or hydrolyzed collagen) is derived from animal sources such as cattle. Recently 35 young Brittons and one Frenchman died of a new variant of the Creutzfeld-Jakob disease. This prion related disease has been connected to BSE or mad cow disease. Although most governments in Western society have taken strict measurements, public concerns related to the consumption of proteins such as gelatin derived from cattle are still present. A further drawback of gelatin and in some cases casein is that they are not in compliance with certain religious diet regulations. Carrageenans are known to promote certain types of colon cancer (Arakaw, Ito and Tejima; Journal of Nutritional Science and Vitaminology 34, 577-585, 1988).
Consequently, among the general public lives a growing desire to consume products not derived from gelatin or carrageenans. Furthermore there is a strong incentive to move away from expensive gelling agents such as gelatin, carrageenans and casein.
It is an object of the invention to provide a substitute for gelling agents for the formation of reversible gels. It is particularly an object of the invention to provide a substitute for gelling agents such as gelatin, carrageenans and casein. It is furthermore an object of the invention to provide a substitute for said gelling agents, which has sufficiently similar gelling and melting properties as said gelling agents. Other objects of the invention will become clear from the following description and examples.